The Columbus Municipal School District’s dropout prevention program kicks off Oct. 15, city school superintendent Dr. Martha Liddell told members of the Columbus Rotary Club Tuesday at the Columbus Country Club.
The district’s five-year graduation rate, at 69.7 percent, is the second lowest in the Golden Triangle, with the West Point School District taking the ignominious lead, graduating only 61 percent of its students, according to the Mississippi Department of Education’s assessment and accountability reports.
Liddell called for business leaders’ assistance in eradicating the “silent epidemic,” saying internships and other job opportunities could encourage students to stay in school.
In mid-October, the district will begin soliciting churches and other nonprofit agencies to offer space for “e-centers,” which will allow students to earn high school credit for online classes. Certified teachers will provide the classes via Skype, a free service which allows users to communicate in real-time by voice, video and instant messaging.
The e-centers will be open from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Students will follow the state-approved curriculum and must pass the same state exams as mainstream students to receive a high school diploma. Students will also be required to meet district criteria before they can enroll. Their attendance will be monitored by on-site “life coaches,” who will offer guidance and encouragement, Liddell said.
The Project 2020 program is funded entirely through grants, with no money required from the district, Liddell said Tuesday. A $250,000 grant was provided by the Walmart Foundation, and MDE provided an additional $95,000 Rural Education Grant. Liddell said the district is also applying for a grant from the AT&T Foundation.
“It’s a win-win situation, but it’s a lot of work,” Liddell said of the program.
The plan is based upon six key strategies, beginning with identifying at-risk students, monitoring their attendance and performing early intervention for students who are struggling academically. A system of positive reinforcement will reward students for good behavior and accomplishments.
The community will also be drawn into the mission, with the district reaching out not only to dropouts but also to home-schoolers, home-bound students and private school students who want to enroll in the e-centers to earn high school credits, dual high school and college credits or take Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses.
Liddell said the district receives $5,400 for every student that enrolls, making dropout recovery a potentially lucrative proposition for the cash-strapped district.
The Golden Triangle area is rich in job opportunities, but students are not prepared academically, said Larry Cantrell, senior vice president of Cadence Bank.
That’s something Beth Jolly sees every day at EcoLab/Microtek Medical, where she works as director of compliance. Maintaining a well-educated workforce is critical, she said, and she’s enthusiastic the Project 2020 program can make a difference.
“We’ve got to keep up,” she said after the Rotary Club meeting. “Here, with the kinds of jobs we have available, this part of the state is the growth area. We have opportunities here, we just have to get our kids the education.”
Denise Good, of State Farm Insurance, said as a business owner and taxpayer, she too sees the need for the district to recover students who drop out of school.
“We have to do something, and it starts right here at the grassroots,” she said.
Every 26 seconds, a student drops out of school, with more than 1.2 million students dropping out per year, according to statistics from the Mattie C. Stewart Foundation, a Birmingham, Ala.-based nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing dropout rates and increasing graduation rates. Eight of 10 dropouts end up in prison, costing the United States $40 billion per year for their incarceration, the Foundation reports.
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
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